The term pharoah refers to the kings of ancient Egypt prior to it being conquered by the Greeks. It orginates from the name of the pharoah's palace, as it means "great house".
The pharoahs were said to have been created before even the gods by whichever creator god was in charge at that point. When they were crowned pharoah they became the avatr of Horus, the god of pharoahs. The pharoahs were said to be protected by an invisible cobra called Uraeus, which spat the fires of the sun upon those who attacked him/her.
One of the most complicated things about the pharoahs were their names. They had no less then five!
Their birth name or nesw bity name: This was the name they had prior to becoming pharoah and the name in which they were called after their death.
The Horus name: This name showed their realtionship with the god Horus. It was quite simply the Horus's name followed by a description of the god or an ideal of the king, e.g. Horus the Strong or Horus the two powers shall be at peace.
Nebty name: This name linked the pharoah to the two gurdian gods of Egypt's army.
The Golden Falcon name: This name was represented by an image of a golden falcon. It showed the status of the king as a living god, as it was beleived the gods' bodies were soild gold, and sunrays were gold.
The Prenomen name: This was a fancy title of the king, for example "He who unites in glory".